


Creature of Grimm || AdamxReader (They/Them)

by AgentLin



Series: Self-Insert Stories [14]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Ash (OC) - Freeform, F/M, Gen, M/M, RWBY au, Xion Redfox (OC), Zeta (OC), somewhat rewriting Adam's character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2019-10-11 13:37:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17447996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentLin/pseuds/AgentLin
Summary: You made your way back to the forest, settling down on a tree branch and looking up at the night sky, getting lost in thought.“You know this kind of reminds me of when we first met.”You laughed. “Not exactly.”You jumped down and Adam caught you, holding you bridal style. You smiled, and kissed him.“This is more like when we first met.”“It is. Except you didn’t kiss me.”





	1. Chapter 1

    You walked into the main hall, eyes looking around the new place you’d be calling home. It was your first day at Haven and you were quite nervous. You weren’t from Mistral, Vale actually, so moving there was a bit intimidating. Those around you seemed friendly but you also knew there was a good chance you’d be fighting them in practice, hopefully that would lead to friends and not enemies.

    The first day was as plain as one would expect. You met the headmaster and he gave a speech. Talking about how you would all make great huntsmen one day, and that tomorrow teams would be picked. Afterwards you were given time to mingle. You greeted the person closest to you and started up a conversation.

    They were friendly, from Mistral, and were excited to begin their training. They told you more about themselves but you then noticed someone else in the crowd. Although you wouldn’t exactly call them a friend. You excused yourself and went over to them, pulling them away from their conversation.

“What the hell are you doing here, Xion?”

“I was talking to someone.”

“Did _he_ send you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“He wants someone looking after you.”

“I don’t need a babysitter, so leave.”

“You know I can’t do that. Look, there’s hundreds of other students here, it’s not like we’ll end up on a team together. I’m just here to keep an eye on you and report back.”

“I can tell him how I am myself.”

“Y/n, he’s just worried, and despite my relationship with him, he trusts me to look after you.”

“Yeah I don’t doubt it.”

“My orders are to stay, so if you really want me to leave you’ll have to talk with him about it.”

“Got it. So I recommend you don’t get too comfortable here.”

“Noted.”

    You sighed and walked away. The person you were talking with before had found others so you were back to square one. You could find someone else but you chose to step out and think. That didn’t happen right away since you were soon approached by the headmaster, Lionheart.

“Y/n, how are you settling in?”

You smiled. “It’s only the first day headmaster, I can’t really say.”

“Of course, of course, that’s a question for next week.”

“By then I assure you I’ll have an answer.”

“Glad to hear it. Well, I have work to get to, enjoy the rest of the day.”

“Will do.”

    Lionheart smiled at you and headed off. Once he was gone you found a quiet place up high to be alone, watching the sky. Later on you made your way to the dining area to eat and then made yourself comfortable for the night. As you knew you wouldn’t be getting a room until you had a team.

♥♥♥♥♥

    The next morning there was certainly excitement in the air. No one really knew how teams were picked so there was a lot of chatter about that. You found some others to talk with at breakfast so you didn’t appear to be asocial. Afterwards everyone boarded a ship, all you knew is that it was flying towards the forest.

    On the flight over Lionheart explained how teams were picked. There were towers in the forest, each holding half of a gem. Each person was responsible for getting to the ground on their own, and the first person they came across would be their partner. From there the pair would travel to the nearest tower and retrieve the gem, once a gem was taken the tower would emit a red light to inform others it was empty.

    Once the pair had the gem they had to make their way back to school grounds. There they would complete their team of four, finding the other duo with the other half of their gem. All the students had till sundown to make it out or else they would receive a penalty, their whole team would. Now that everyone knew what would happen the excitement was replaced by determination.

    By the time Lionheart finished explaining the ship was over the forest, it opened. A strong wind filled the inside and people started jumping down. When you got to the edge you looked down, then simply stepped off, letting yourself fall. As the ground approached your eyes glowed black and a portal opened up beneath you. You went through it and landed safely on the ground.

    Your eyes returned to normal and the portal above you closed. You saw others falling from above, but your eyes locked on the nearest tower. You barely took a few steps before someone appeared in front of you. They stood up and then looked back at you.

“For fucks sake.”

“I didn’t plan this I swear.”

    You stomped past Xion, who rolled his eyes and then followed you. Everything started off fine but he just had to show up. Of course he could go away and find someone else but there was no point, the others probably already had their partners.

“I really wasn’t trying to find you.” Xion said. “I was never ordered to be on a team with you.”

“I believe you. He wouldn’t want to annoy me with your constant presence.”

“I guess he’ll be disappointed.”

“It’ll work out in our favor, we’ll end up being top of the class.”

“That is if our other half can keep up.”

“We’ll find out later.”

    The two of you made your way to the tower. There was no issue getting there, but there seemed to be one when it came to getting to the top. It wasn’t surprising that the tower didn’t actually have a door or any sort of way up, it seemed the students had to find creative ways to get to the top.

“I’ll see you up there.”

    Xion chuckled and then teleported away. You rolled your eyes and opened a portal in front of you, stepping through, now atop the tower with your partner, who had the gem in hand. The floor beneath you suddenly turned red and the tower soon changed color as well.

“That was easy.”

“Obviously.” You commented. “Now we just have to get back to the school.”

“We can both be back in seconds.”

“Which means there’s no rush, how about we take the long way. I’m sure you want to fight some Grimm.”

“With you around it’s no fun.”

“I’ll make sure it is.”

“Then lead the way.”

“You first.”

    You shoved Xion off the tower then jumped down, using your portals to get below. Xion was obviously fine, teleporting to the ground.

“You pushed me.”

“I knew you’d live.”

“Not a good enough reason.”

“It’ll have to do.”

    Before you got off the tower you took note of where to go to get back to the school. You and Xion walked in relative silence, then you came upon a pack of Beowolves.

“So, I’m assuming you want this all for yourself?” You asked.

“Of course. You can look away if you want.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

    Your eyes glowed like before and you held up your hands. A black sphere of energy formed between your hands and then dispersed. The creatures were suddenly looking at the two of you, growling. You leaned against a tree trunk and Xion charged out to fight, a sword appearing in his hand. You watched for a moment, then a lone Beowolf approached you. You smiled and pet its head before you sent it off, saving it from Xion’s blade.

    Your powers were certainly one of a kind. Something happened to you in your youth, something that greatly changed who you would become. Your semblance, you could create this sort of dark energy, manipulate it, use it as a weapon or shield. It also let you make portals, travel anywhere you wanted as long as you could visualize it. Then there was the darker part.

    The energy you could create, it kept the Grimm from hurting you. They didn’t see you as a threat, more like one of them. It terrified you, but over time you grew to be fascinated by it. Being able to be so close to these deadly creatures and have them be like pets to you. They listened, wouldn’t even hurt anyone near you. It was a great advantage to use to protect people, but no one needed to know about your relationship to the Grimm. When you first discovered it, you were scared of yourself, who knew how those around you would act. When you looked back Xion was done with his fight.

“Nice job.”

“No thanks to you.”

“You didn’t want my help remember. Not like you needed it.”

♥♥♥♥♥

    You made it back to the school in one piece. You weren’t the first, but the hall wasn’t so crowded. It took a while but then you found the other half of your team, they seemed capable of keeping on your level. Lionheart didn’t show himself till sundown, everyone made it back apparently. Your team was given its name, and you were chosen as the leader. You really didn’t want that role but you weren’t going to reject it. After all the teams were set you were allowed to move into your room.

    There were quick introductions, but you all had plenty of time to get to know each other. You stayed up late though, once everyone was asleep you snuck out. You made your way back to the forest, settling down on a tree branch and looking up at the night sky, getting lost in thought.

“You know this kind of reminds me of when we first met.”

You laughed. “Really? Cause I disagree.”

“Do you now?”

“Yeah.” You jumped down and Adam caught you, holding you bridal style. You smiled, and kissed him. “This is more like when we first met.”

“Alright, now I see it. Except you didn’t kiss me.”

“Am I interrupting?”

    You both looked up to see Xion on a branch above, waving. Adam put you down, Xion teleporting to the ground.

“Did you follow me?” You asked.

“No. I was told to be here.”

“Adam.” You hissed.

“You know I can’t stay long.”

“Which is why I thought it was just going to be the two of us… alone.”

“I need to check in with both of you.”

“I’m great.” Xion said. “Promise.”

“Y/n?”

“I’m fine, Adam. We barely picked our teams today. I’m settling in okay so far.”

“That’s good, I’m glad everything is going well.”

“Are you going to tell him to kick me out now?”

“Right.” Adam commented.“I should have talked to you about Xion’s presence earlier. Do you want him to leave?”

“No.” You sighed. “He’s on my team so I need him.”

“So I’m staying? You told me not to get comfortable.”

“Guess I spoke too soon.”

“Well I’m good with that, y/n’s good with it, so I’m out.”

    Xion teleported away, leaving you alone with Adam. You were relieved and sat down, leaning against a tree. Adam joined you, following your gaze up to the sky.

“You’re really okay with me going to Haven?”

“We’ve had this conversation before y/n. You want to be a huntsmen, I, nor the White Fang are going to stop you. If we need you I can easily call you to my side.”

“Lucky you.”

    You rested your head against his shoulder. Adam had always been kind to you, since the day you met. You looked up at him, and then reached up to grab his mask but he caught your hand.

“Not tonight.”

“Sorry.”

“You’re alright. I just think you aren’t asking yourself the right question.”

“Which is?”

“Is this what you really want? Do you really want to be a huntsmen? You’ve been pushing your doubts on me all this time.”

“You got me.” You moved away from him. “It’s not that I doubt myself, it’s that I’m afraid. What if everyone finds out what I am? They’ll hate me… they’ll be scared of me.”

“And what if they learn the truth? That won’t change who you are. I’ve known the truth since we’ve met and that hasn’t changed my feelings.”

“Guess that makes me the luckiest person alive. I don’t know where I would be without you. You gave me a family, hope and happiness. I owe you a lot.”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

“I’m going to miss you while I’m at school.”

“You can always come visit, you know how to find me.”

“I do.”

    Adam got up and helped you to your feet. You hugged him, truly realizing how much you had, and how much you were, going to miss him. He wrapped his arms around you, gently rocking you side to side. After a moment you pulled away.

“I should let you get back to the camp.”

“Think you can give me a boost before I go?”

“Of course.”

    You grabbed his hand and took a deep breath. Your eyes changed and you became outlined in your black energy, Adam glowed as well, absorbing the energy you gave off. When you stopped you stumbled back a step but he caught you, helping you to steady yourself.

“Thanks.”

“No problem, you sure you’ll be alright?”

“Yeah, stay out of trouble.”

“I was just about to say the same thing.”

“I’ll try my hardest.”

“I know you will.” He leaned down to kiss you. “Take care.”

“You too.”

    You opened up a portal for him that would drop him off back at his camp. You waved at him, once he was gone you made your way back to your room. The others were asleep, but Xion was still up.

“Sorry about cutting into your… time or whatever.”

“You’re fine, just don’t do it again.”

“I’ll try.”

“Now go to bed, that’s an order. First day of class tomorrow, won’t be fun.”

“School’s never fun.”

    You got into bed. You may have told Adam you would be okay but you were still worried, always would be. For once you had a chance to be normal, as normal as you could be. You didn’t want things to go wrong, and hopefully they wouldn’t.


	2. Chapter 2

    The Haven uniform was pretty nice, although you had to admit it was weird to be in it. You were used to being in your combat clothes and you felt naked without your weapons. You and your team went to the dining hall for breakfast, you were all getting along well.

“So what’s our schedule look like?” Xion asked.

“Um… we got History of Remnant first, followed by Grimm studies, then training.”

“I look forward to seeing what you guys can do!”

    Zeta was the most energetic of the team. Such a positive attitude and high spirits. His parents were both huntsmen, although that wasn’t what drove him to become one himself. In fact his parents never pushed that sort of expectation on him, he was the one who found his own reason to be a hero and fight monsters. He had discovered his semblance in training, sonic scream. He was also very good at controlling it so there was no fear of his voice breaking glass.

“Are we supposed to fight each other or are we going to fight our peers?”

    Ash was a lot more reserved, and serious. She hadn’t shared much about herself, yet, all she’s said so far is that she’s been on her own for a while. Being a huntsmen was never really her idea, but she had a lot of skills she wanted to put to good use. Her semblance was pyrokinesis, which explained her calm exterior, since she said she was rather combustible.

“I don’t think we’re fighting our team.” Xion said. “Doesn’t make sense to do that yet. Although we are going to have to learn to work as a team.”

“That part is obvious.” You commented. “I’m sure we’ll get there, we got four years ahead of us after all.”

♥♥♥♥♥

    You were absolutely bored in your history class. It’s not that the class was boring, you just already knew everything the teacher was going to talk about. You felt the same in your Grimm class. This was the downside to wanting to be a proper huntsmen, getting the education that goes with the title, an education you kinda already had.

“I feel you.” Xion whispered. “Already know this stuff, so the class is pointless.”

“I’m sure there’s something we’ll learn.”

“Through homework and papers? Best way to learn am I right?”

“You didn’t have to follow me here remember, so this is on you.”

“Don’t tell me you’re actually looking forward to doing all that.”

“You mean be normal? Be like everyone else? Yeah, why the hell not? You’re stuck here, so don’t complain.”

“Okay, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

    You felt much more comfortable in combat training, you were finally out of that uniform. The thing was you didn’t really need a weapon, you were the weapon, but you still made one for yourself. You designed this sword hilt, two of them, to focus your energy into, allowing you to shape it however you want. Most of the time you used it to make a sword or knife, or you could detach the sphere at the end and create a whip.

    It all depended on what you needed at the time, since you were well aware you wouldn’t just be fighting Grimm. And since your weapon was tailor made for your powers no one else could use it, to them it was probably just a stick. It could still be used as a weapon like that but certainly wouldn’t be as effective. They were magnetically attached to you on either side of your hip, so there was never any fear of losing them.

    The combat area was interesting to you, it was like a colosseum, everyone looking down at the two fighting. The idea was that you’d all learn from each other, but it definitely put pressure on whoever was fighting. All eyes were on them, and most of all, this was the time to make a good first impression on the rest of the class.

“You know we’re both leagues above everyone else here, right?” Xion leaned over. “They’re all first years.”

“So?”

“Are we supposed to hold back or something? I mean, surely everyone would notice we’re better than them and it would blow our cover.”

“Our cover? We’re not spies, we’re students.”

“Students who’ve technically already graduated.”

“Ugh.”

“I’m just saying. If you want to do this properly you can’t just show off.”

“Fine, we’ll hold back for the sake of everyone else’s pride. You may be a master of seven weapons but you can only use two here.”

“What!”

“And no using your semblance in combat on the training floor.”

“That’s not fair.”

“It would give you away immediately. So what two are you choosing?”

He huffed. “Sword and hammer.”

“Nice choice.”

“But you need to restrict yourself too. No portals.”

“Easy enough.”

“And you can only use your semblance through your weapon and as a shield.”

“Okay. We’ll both stick to these boundaries and keep each other in check.”

“Deal, but don’t think I’m ever going to throw a fight.”

“Me neither.”

    Besides first impressions, it let everyone in the class know what they were up against. A chance to see what their peers could do. Most of all it let you know what the other half of your team could do. You had known Xion for nearly a year now, you knew exactly what he was capable of. The other two were still strangers to you.

    Ash wore form fitting armor, shield and sword as her weapon, her main one anyway. Her shield doubled as a drum mag and her sword could transform and combine to give her a tommy gun. Since this was just combat training she was using average dust ammunition, but when she was out in the field she’d be carrying around extra mags with certain types of dust bullets. Although, despite that kind of power, she preferred the simple sword and shield, just by seeing her in action once you could tell she was a skilled fighter, perhaps someone with secrets of their own.

    Zeta seemed more like the average fighter. His skills definitely had room for improvement, but he was very good with his weapon. He used a collapsible bo staff which could also be used as a grappling hook. The most interesting thing though was the little boom box he kept on him. He mainly used it to listen to music but could also use it to increase the power of his sonic screams, impressive.

    When it was Xion’s turn to fight you were interested in seeing how he would do with the restrictions. He was still good, very capable of holding his own, not at all surprising to you. Everyone else seemed rather impressed though, even the teacher. You hoped that wouldn’t cause problems.

“What happened to keeping a low profile?” You asked when he sat next to you. “Show off.”

“Can’t really hide pure talent can you? I bet everyone is going to think the same about you.”

“I really hope not.”

    Once you were down on the training floor you kinda felt bad for your opponent. They weren’t going to win, no matter how hard they tried.  You grabbed one of your hilts and made a sword, despite knowing the outcome you were ready for a challenge. Your opponent was fast, dogging most of your attacks, although everyone one of his moves you blocked with your shield.

    You certainly let the fight drag out longer than it should have, hoping that in doing so you wouldn’t just crush your opponents spirit. You turned your weapon to a whip and tripped them up, then using your shield to bash them into the nearest wall. With that you were named the winner of the match.

♥♥♥♥♥

“You guys were all so awesome!” Zeta said with glee. “I’m so lucky to be on a team with all of you. I can learn so much!”

“And I look forward to learning from you too.” You smiled. “You all did great.”

“Some more than others.” Ash commented.

“I’m a natural, it’s like being a huntsmen was always my thing.” Xion said. “But don’t get me wrong, I still have a lot to learn.”

    Everyone was in the dining hall, having diner. The first day started off boring but ended on a more exciting note. The students were more chatty with one another than the morning, new friends having been made.

“Hey.” Zeta cut in. “Do you guys think, since we’re all such badasses and clearly top of the class, we can qualify for the Vytal Festival?”

“The Vytal Festival?” Xion questioned. “That’s coming up?”

“Yeah.”

“We’re first years.” Ash said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to participate. Haven should be represented by upperclassmen.”

“You don’t think we’d stand a chance?”

“Zeta, listen to yourself. We haven’t even fought as a team yet. How could we possibly enter a tournament?”

“Alright buzz kill, I get it, we’re not qualified.”

“Speaking of Haven” You cut in. “I have a meeting with the headmaster.”

“Of course you do.” Xion said. “That’s not weird.”

“The headmaster?” Ash questioned. “Are you in some sort of trouble? It’s only the second day of school.”

“No, I’m not in trouble, and neither are the rest of you. I just… kinda know the headmaster.”

“How the hell do you know the headmaster?”

“It’s… complicated. I promise I’ll explain at some point. I gotta go, stay out of trouble.”

“Tell the headmaster I said hi.” Zeta added.

“Will do.”

♥♥♥♥♥

    Talking to Lionheart was weird. He was supposed to be your headmaster, but he acted more like a friend. You knew why he was treating you that way, he wanted to make sure everything was good for you, even if it seemed like you were getting special treatment.

“Everything’s been good. My team is incredible, and I’m fitting in well.”

“That’s good to hear, and how are your studies?”

“Well you know, classes are going to be boring, but I won’t slack off, promise.”

“I’ve been told you’re a brilliant student and well behaved, so I know I won’t be getting trouble from you.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” You laughed. “Joking, I swear. So… headmaster… I understand if you’re concerned about me but… I don’t want this to be a regular thing.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t want you calling me to your office on a regular basis. I’m not trying to be rude, it’s just… it’s going to look weird to the other students and I don’t want them asking questions or finding out the truth.”

“Ah, yes, I understand. But do feel free to come to me if you need anything.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. And thanks again for… accepting me. I know my application was… strange, especially with choosing Haven.”

“That does not require thanks. It’s an honor to have you.”

You smiled. “Can I ask… who else knows the truth about me? Did you tell your staff?”

“No, it’s not my place. I’m the only one here who knows, and I will do everything in my power to keep it that way.”

“Thank you. I should get back to my team. I’ll see you around.”

“Good night.”

“Good night headmaster.”

    When you got back to your room Zeta was all in your face asking about your meeting with Lionheart. You didn’t outright tell him the truth, just saying the headmaster was meeting with all the leaders of the first year teams.

“You said you knew him.”

“I’ve known of him, he’s a headmaster of one of the academy’s everyone technically knows him.”

“Alright, keep your secrets.”

“Thanks, Zeta. Now I don’t know about you but I want to shower then sleep. We all should.”

“Way ahead of you.”

    Xion plopped down in bed, already dressed in his pajamas. You rolled your eyes at him and went to shower. With first day jitters all but gone you felt like everything could finally settled down. You didn’t really remember the last time you were actually a student, so it was something you were going to have to get used to.

    You chatted with your team a bit before bed, everyone being a bit more open. You admitted that you were born in Mistral, but ultimately raised in Vale, so choosing Haven kinda felt like coming home. Xion was from Vacuo, but knew all the kingdoms well. Zeta was home, Mistral was where his family was and where he wanted to stay. Ash was from Mistral too, but not anywhere near the kingdom.

    It was good to talk, you were all bonding. Although they were your responsibility, so you hurried them off to bed before it got late. The others seemed to fall asleep fast but it wasn’t that easy for you. You tossed around for a good thirty minutes before you fell asleep, and even then it didn’t last.

    In your dream you found yourself in your worst nightmare. You were in some sorta rocky wasteland. There were Grimm everywhere but your presence wasn’t a threat to them. Regardless you were scared, but you didn’t know what to do. You had no idea where you were, and it seemed like your powers didn’t work, you felt hopeless. Then you noticed your hands, they weren’t normal anymore, but Grimm.

    You screamed awake, a wave of energy expelled from your body, a big enough to make you feel weak . The light came on and your team was looking at you, clearly concerned. Your breathing was heavy and you looked at them. You forced a smile, trying to stop yourself from shaking.

“Are you okay?” Ash asked.

“I’m fine.” You got out of bed. “I just need some air.”

“Y/n.”

    You didn’t stick around, grabbing your cloak and stumbling out of the room, slamming the door behind you. Ash and Zeta tried to follow but Xion stopped them.

“Don’t. I know y/n, they need to be alone right now okay. They’ll be back by morning, so let’s just go back to bed.”

“We can’t just let them go out alone.”

“Zeta, trust me. I’m sure eventually you’ll understand.”

“Let’s just go to bed.” Ash said. “We’re all still strangers after all. Doubt we’re close enough to comfort them.”

♥♥♥♥♥

“Sir.”

    Adam was in a tent with others discussing plans to get dust and other supplies, when another faunus came in and interrupted them.

“Is everything alright?”

“They’re here, and waiting in your tent.”

“Excuse me.”

    Adam made his way to his tent. When he walked in he noticed the cloaked figure sitting in the corner, sniffling. He put his sword down and went over to them, kneeling down.

“I think you startled the camp.” He pushed your hood back. “Another nightmare?”

“That obvious?”

“Not exactly, I just know you give off a certain energy when you’re upset, specifically when you have trouble sleeping.”

“So… I give off a certain vibe depending on how I feel?”

“I suppose, but I haven’t figured them all out yet.”

    He sat down next to you. You leaned against him, staring at the ground and wiping away some tears.

“You’re not a monster, y/n.”

“Sometimes I don’t believe that.”

“It was just a bad dream.” He wrapped an arm around you, pulling you closer.

“You know it’s more than that.”

“But you’re okay now.”

    You closed your eyes, listening to the sounds around you, then you focused on Adam’s heartbeat, letting the rhythm help calm you down. After a while you opened your eyes again.

“My whole team is going to be worried about me.”

“So you’re team leader then?”

“I was surprised too. I think Lionheart did that on purpose, think he’s got expectations.”

“You don’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations.”

“I’m pretty sure I haven’t. Adam… can I stay here tonight? I’d just… I’d sleep better knowing you were close. Unless you got plans and-”

“Y/n, you’re always welcome to stay, no questions asked.”

“Thanks… I’ll… I’ll make sure the Grimm-”

“I’ve already done that, you just get some rest. I’ll join you in a bit okay.”

“Yeah, sorry for interrupting.”

“I always have time for you.” Adam kissed your head then stood up. “Always.”

    He grabbed his sword and left. You didn’t move at first but then made yourself comfortable in the bed. You knew you’d have to give your team some sorta explanation tomorrow, but for now you could relax. It felt like you were home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clearly I am going somewhere with this, mostly following the timeline of the show, while also giving background on the reader and a bit on their team. Now I know this is supposed to be Adam x Reader, so, bare with me, we'll get there. I do hope you're just enjoying the story so far.


	3. Chapter 3

    You woke up to find Adam spooning you in the morning. You smiled but didn’t move, not wanting to wake him up.

“So, you’re finally awake?”

“Hm? How long have you been awake?”

“A while now, didn’t want to disturb you.”

You rolled over to face him. “Why not? I would have been fine.”

“You came to me last night because you couldn’t sleep. I wanted to make sure you got as much rest as you could.”

“Alright, thanks for that.”

“No problem, now come on, breakfast. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“I am but you know I can’t stay.”

“Woah, I just got a feeling of deja vu.” He sat up and chuckled.

“Yeah me too.” You got up, rubbing your eyes. “I gotta get back to my team, if I don’t, they’ll get worried and tell the teachers. It’s too early in the school year to be causing trouble.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

    You stood up and stretched, grabbing your cloak. When you stepped out of the tent the sun shined down and you shielded your eyes as they adjusted to the light. After a moment Adam stepped out, hugging you from behind and kissing your cheek.

“No, come on, I can’t stay. I gotta go.”

“I know, I know, I just miss you.”

“We saw each other like two days ago. Besides, you could have tried harder to convinced me not to go.”

“Maybe I should have.”

You smiled. “Well you didn’t. Anyway, are you staying here for now?”

“No, I think we’ll be moving soon. We need to resupply, but don’t worry, you know you can always find me.”

“I know. Thank you for last night.”

“Anytime. Just remember that you’re strong. You can handle anything thrown your way.”

“That does sound about right. Call me if you need anything.”

“Always.”

    He gave you one last kiss before letting you go. You made your way to school grounds, wanting to sneak back into your room. You were glad to know your teammates had already gone to breakfast but that meant you had to be fast. You cleaned up and got dressed, then made your way to the dining hall and joined your team.

“There you are.” Zeta said. “You weren’t in bed when we woke up.”

“I got back when you were sleeping and just woke up before all of you. I wanted to take another walk before class.”

“Without your uniform?”

“Yeah, this stuff does make me feel weird, I try to avoid wearing it if I don’t have to. And I just got back and changed so now I’m here.”

“Are you okay?” Ash asked. “Last night…”

“Yeah, just… a bad dream. I’d say it’s just home sickness.”

“I thought this was home for you?”

“That’s the complicated part isn’t it. I don’t really remember much of my time here, all my memories of growing up are in Vale.”

“It’s too early for this sappy stuff.” Xion said. “I’m trying to enjoy my pancakes over here. Our leader is back, that’s all that matters.”

“Right, sorry.” Zeta apologized. “Glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks. I promise I’ll do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

“Just don’t start slacking off on us.” Ash said. “We need our captain.”

“I won’t.”

    After that one incident you didn’t have any more trouble sleeping, at least not that your team noticed. You all got used to the routine at school, balancing homework with training. Everyone started to feel more like a team, taking the time to learn to fight side by side. But after two weeks you needed a change of pace. You went looking for Xion finding him in the library.

“Are you actually studying?”  
“No. This place is quiet, great place to read comics.”

“That’s cool, now let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Out. Forest where we became partners.”

    The two of you were there in seconds. It was the middle of the day, sun shining down and just the sounds of nature.

“Why are we here?” Xion asked.

“Two weeks, aren’t you tired of holding back?”

“Absolutely.”

“Well it’s just you and me out here, so how about a match? No holding back.”

“Oh you’re so on.”

    You might not be great friends with Xion but you could trust him to give you a challenge. He was one of the only people able to hold their own in a fight against you. If anything you were on equal footing, your fights always ended in a draw. You did have a slight advantage over Xion, but it didn’t do much.

    Since you had this energy that could let you travel from place to place, you could sense where Xion would teleport to when he was around you. It also let you now when he switched weapons. You didn’t really know much about his abilities or weapons either. He said he was a master of seven weapons and kept them somewhere. He could teleport whichever he wanted to his hand in an instant.

    You created a shield as he swung at you with his hammer. The impact knocked you both back. You tumbled to the floor, laying back and catching your breath. You got on your knees and looked at Xion, also catching his breath. You both called it there and once your breathing was back to normal you returned to school.

    The first semester honestly went by with no major issue. You got to know your team and you all learned to work well together. You all pitched in to help train each other too, Zeta picked up things fast. You also balanced school with your White Fang responsibilities in Vale. And as you expected you were actually top of the class. Although you and Xion weren’t up to the idea of telling the others what you really could do, especially you. Maybe one day though.

    At the end of the semester everyone had two weeks vacation. Zeta would be going home, as would Ash. You and Xion planned to get back to the White Fang, which mostly meant you were going home to Vale. You didn’t expect any trouble but as you were preparing to leave you noticed someone on campus. Your eyes widen and you yanked Xion over, pointing them out.

“What the fuck are they doing here?”

“I don’t know.”

♥♥♥♥♥

    Before you enrolled in Haven you spent most of your free time, which was basically when you weren’t training, with Adam and the White Fang. If anything you acted more like a guardian angel, watching over them as they went on their missions. Not many knew of you even existed but those who did, knew you as the Shadow. The name came from the fact that whenever you were around the camp you’d stick by Adam’s side like his shadow, hiding beneath your cloak. No one ever asked questions, Adam assuring them you were on their side and there to help.

    Whenever Adam had some time he’d train with you. He definitely had a major advantage over you with his semblance, but you still kept up with him. He was a skilled fighter with some more experience than you, so he always provided you with a challenge. You also learned more about the White Fang and their mission through him.

    He gave you a family, and a chance to help them make a better world for the faunus. He was kinda like a mentor to you, but also more. You weren’t the strongest person when you met him, so afraid of yourself, but he helped you gain confidence. To not be so afraid of what you could do and giving you the opportunity to use your powers for a good cause.

    You were with him in the camp when the plan to attack a Schnee dust train was put in motion. He wanted you to stay and watch over the place while he was gone. It was usually just a precaution he had in place but on this occasion it turned out to be necessary. Before he headed out he had guests, a woman seeking an audience with him, asking for his assistance with her own revolution, as she put it.

    You were present to hear her say what she wanted. She was of course vague on the details but you didn’t like it regardless. And no one else seemed to like it either. It wasn’t surprising Adam refused her. They were human and asking for the faunus to put their lives on the line for them. Luckily the group left without issue.

“I have a bad feeling about this, Adam.”

“I know, but I don’t have time to dwell on it.”

“What was that about?”

    You noticed his mentee, Blake, approach. You took that as a sign to leave, you knew the two still needed to prepare and wouldn’t be back till morning. When you first joined the White Fang you were rather shy but as time went on you became more social, making friends with the other faunus around. Everyone wore a mask so there was never an issue with you being secretive.

    It was quiet all night, no problems, which was something you were happy to report when Adam returned, although he was alone. You understood the concern over her disappearance, she was the daughter of the former White Fang leader, but she made her choice. The mission was done and that’s all that mattered. You suddenly sensed something bad.

“Something’s wrong… the Grimm around the perimeter are hostile. I think we’re under attack.”

“Where?”

“Northeast. I’ll go, send reinforcements.”

“Y/n! Wait!”

    You sprinted out of the tent, creating a portal to drop you in the middle of the action. You had both swords in hand and came down on a woman in a red dress. You immediately recognized her from before. She blocked your attack but you weren’t going to back down.

“You shouldn’t have come back.”

“I disagree.”

    The Grimm around focused on the other two, you had your target. You felt that there was something different about her but you didn’t have the time to figure out what. You held your own well, she was pretty skilled herself. All you needed to know was that she was a threat and had to be stopped. You weren’t going to let her get past you.

    Your eyes had a natural red color, well they used to be another color, but things changed. They began to glow, the Grimm around you sensing the energy you gave off. They got more aggressive, and others began to converge on your location. In that moment your opponent seemed to be caught off guard and you got the upperhand. You knocked them back and were about to strike.

“Enough!”

    Adam’s voice cut through and everyone stopped. He came over to you and grabbed your arm, making you lower your sword. You looked back at him, he noticed your eyes glowing red. He pulled you away.

“That’s enough. Stand down.”

    You reluctantly nodded and closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. The Grimm moved away but stayed close. The glow faded and you stepped back, behind Adam, trying to calm yourself down. The woman got up, she was clearly upset, but had no intention to fight.

“I don’t suppose we can have a civilized conversation again?”

“My answer will be the same.” Adam said. “You’re wasting your time.”

“We could’ve gone to anyone for help, but we chose you, Adam Taurus.”

    She threw her weapons on the floor and you took a step forward. Adam put his hand out to stop you.

“Our plan will be beneficial for both of us.” The weapons were suddenly engulfed in flames. “Or one of us.”

    The other two with her brought forth two cases, opening them, revealing money and dust. You were pushing down the anger bubbling up in you, you didn’t like what was going on but you weren’t going to make the call, that wasn’t your place.

“So… which will it be?”

“Cinder, was it?”

“Yes.”

“Perhaps we can continue this conversation in private.”

“I think that would be best.”

    Adam gestured towards the camp, other faunus grabbing the cases. Cinder walked past you with her underlings, the girl in green smirking at you. You wanted to punch her but instead kept your cool.

“Can you reset perimeter defenses.”

“Adam-”

“I know. We can talk about this later. When you finish I want you with me.”

“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

    A small nevermore landed on your shoulder. You gently pet it, keeping yourself calm. Your semblance was the energy you generated but there was another part of you, the part you were so afraid of letting out. You looked down at your hands, still normal. You had the Grimm disperse, having them go back to pacing around the perimeter of the camp. Then you made your way back to Adam.

    You weren’t really excited about the White Fang working with these people but the choice wasn’t yours. It seemed she wanted some forces at Vale to work alongside her associate, a criminal by the name of Roman Torchwick. You already did not like the sound of that. Once everything was agreed upon she left. Then you and Adam spoke in private.

“She’s going to get our people killed. We could have taken her and her subordinates.”

“I was not going to recklessly endanger the faunus. She wasn’t going to take no for answer again. And things were different about her this time, I know you could sense it too.”

“That doesn’t mean she was any more of a treat than when she first came here. I could have finished her if you hadn’t stopped me.”

“You were losing control.”

    You took a breath and your gaze fell to the floor. He was right, you just didn’t want to admit it out loud. He came over to you, taking your hand.

“I’m sorry… my actions could have put everyone in danger.”

“You were worried, and you were just trying to protect us. What matters is that we’re all okay.”

“I still don’t like the idea of the White Fang working with some low life.”

“Then perhaps you could watch over them. You’re from Vale after all.”

“Yes, but what happens when I go to school?”

“You’re not attending Beacon?”

“Right, we haven’t talked about this yet.”

“No time like the present. You still want to be a huntsmen right?”

“Yes, I was just thinking Haven is a better choice. It might feel more like home and I kinda want to get away from my father. I should have told you sooner but I should still be able to help in between classes.”

“That doesn’t sound too difficult for you.”

“I can handle it, promise, and I’ll keep you updated.”

“Good. And speaking of, shouldn’t you be getting back home.”

“Yeah, my dad’s probably already worried. I’ll get back when I can.”

“Get home safe.” He kissed your head. “And don’t feel bsd about what happened today. You did good.”

“Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now let's get to the fun of season two!


	4. Chapter 4

    You and Xion hung around Lionheart’s office, waiting for Cinder and her followers to leave. She didn’t know who you were, but she knew Xion, which meant he was the one who was going to talk to her. Once she left the headmaster’s office you followed her out and then Xion went over to her.

“Long time no see.” Xion said as he walked in front of Cinder. “Wish it was longer.”

“Perhaps. What are you doing here?”

“I can ask you the same thing.”

“I don’t have time to play games.”

“Funny. I have a lot of free time on my hands, figured I’d get a proper education.”

Cinder smiled. “That works out nicely. You see my team and I will be transferring to Beacon for the Vytal Festival.”

“Transferring? You’re not… you have the headmaster in your pocket, don’t you?”

“You can say that. Tell him you’re an associate of mine and have your team transfer as well. I could use you and your teams assistance.”

“Problem, I’m not the leader of my team. I can’t just request a transfer and this needs to be discussed with the others.”

“I don’t care what you have to do. I expect you to be at Beacon within two weeks. Am I making myself clear.”

“Lucky for you I have a close connection with my captain, and my team is top of the class so transferring won’t be a stretch. I’ll see you in Beacon.”

“Good.”

    You stayed out of sight, waiting until Xion came back. Cinder didn’t know who you were but that didn’t mean you should just introduce yourself.

“So, why’s she here?”

“Apparently she’s transferring to Beacon for the Vytal Festival.”

“What? Lionheart’s compromised. I swear if he-”

“I don’t think he told her anything about you. If he had I’m sure Cinder would have contacted you.”

“Right, guess he’s more afraid of me than her.”

“Yeah. Look she didn’t give me much choice, but she wants me there, so she wants our team there.”

“Zeta’s already gone home and Ash is probably on her way. I can’t just go ask Lionheart about being in the Vytal Festival and there’s no guarantee he’ll approve.”

“You ask him and I’ll make sure he says yes.”

“What about the other two?”

“Zeta asked about us going at the beginning of the semester. I’m sure if you call him and ask he’d agree. As for Ash… I don’t think she has anything better to do.”

“Ugh. Does Adam even know about this?”

“I doubt it, but we can tell him.”

“Obviously.” You sighed. “Call Zeta and Ash, tell them Lionheart wants us to go to the Vytal Festival, and I’ll go make that lie a reality.”

“You’ll make it fifty percent real, I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Look at you helping out. Let’s just have our transfer done by the end of the day.”

“You got it.”

♥♥♥♥♥

“You wish to participate in the Vytal Festival on Haven’s behalf?”

    You really didn’t want to go to Beacon, to go to Vale, to go home. Although the decision was out of your hands, and you knew you were going to have to lie through your teeth.

“Yes. As I’m sure you know, my team is top of the class. We’re more than capable of participating.”

“Are you sure there isn’t more to this?”

You sighed. “I’ve actually been thinking about transferring to Beacon. It has been great here but… I feel like it may not be the best fit. Of course I can’t just leave, so I’d need to talk to my team. I thought going to the Vytal Festival would help strengthen our bond and let them see what Beacon is like, that way when I bring up staying there they have a better idea of what the school is like.”

“So it’s more than just being homesick. Now y/n, I do understand your desire to transfer but I’m not sure about the Vytal Festival. Have you spoken with the rest of your team about this?”

“Yes. They’d all love the opportunity to participate in the tournament.”

“I see. Then I’ll take into consideration your request, but I make no promises.”

“Of course. Thank you for your time.”

    You left his office glad to be done with that. You got to your room, Xion on his scroll. He had already called Ash and Zeta, they were in and would be making their way to Beacon. You told Xion you’d pack up while he went to go talk to the headmaster. It wouldn’t take long for the both of you to get to Beacon.

    You pretty much packed everything, not planning on coming back to Haven, well hoping. What you told Lionheart wasn’t a complete lie. Around the time you finished Xion assured you about the transfer. You wanted to tell Adam what was going on but you knew he was busy, you would have to wait till later. You both stayed at school until the transfer was all set, the next day you went to Vale.

    You were feeling happy and anxious about being back home. You didn’t want to get to Beacon right away so you took the long way, walking through the town. Xion stayed with you, knowing you were nervous and that it probably wasn’t a good idea to leave you alone. You arrived in the morning and didn’t get to school till well past noon. Your room was all ready so you unpacked, wanting to get comfortable.

“Have you talked to Adam yet?”

“I left him a message, asked him to meet me in the Emerald forest before sun down. Which means-”

“I know, I won’t be there, I swear. He doesn’t need to talk with me so no need to worry about me ruining the moment or whatever.”

“Good. You should just check out the campus and get to know the place. This is home for the next semester.”

“I know, I know. Also, I got a message from the other two a while ago, they’ll be here next week.”

“Good.”

    You laid down on your bed, thinking you’d just sleep until later. But Xion seemed to have something else in mind.

“So…”

You groaned. “What?”

“Are you going to go see your dad?”

“I don’t know. I just got here.”

“It would be rude not to see him.”

“Shut up. I’ll probably go see him later.”

“Fine. I’m just saying it’d be weird if you didn’t. We’re here for the next semester after all.”

“I know. I’ll talk to him eventually, why don’t you do a sweep of the place and see if you know who is here.”

“I can do that.”

“Then get to it.”

    After a quick nap you went out into the forest. Walking through it brought up memories, some good and some bad. Without knowing you came to a clearing looking up at a cliff. You had been there before and a lot went down, but you couldn’t help but feel sentimental. This was where you first met Adam.

♥♥♥♥♥

    Ever since you were little you wanted to be a huntsmen. You wanted to make the world a safer place and your dad helped train you. He had a lot of experience so he was a pretty good teacher. The only problem you had with him was that he didn’t want you training out in the forest, he didn’t want you actually fighting Grimm.

    At first that was reasonable, but as you got older you were clearly more capable and yet he still refused. You listened to him for a while but eventually decided to go against his wishes. At the time you were very skilled with your semblance, but you didn’t know you hadn’t unlocked all of it. That day was full of surprises.

    You wandered around the forest, looking for Grimm. As you got further away from the town more seemed to appear. You used your sword and struck down an Ursa. You were proud of yourself, but as you continued something became clear, the creatures weren’t fighting back. You would charge at the Grimm, make yourself known, but none saw you as hostile. It didn’t make sense and it was frustrating you.

    That feeling built up in you and you took it out on a pack of Beowolves. You stumbled out into a clearing, panting and falling to your knees. You had worn yourself down hard, but it didn’t change how you felt. You noticed the black glow you were emitting. You could create a rather unlimited amount of energy but you could overwhelm yourself if you weren’t careful.

    You’ve never glowed before and were starting to freak out. The fear built up until you let out a scream. The energy you were holding left you in a wave, travelling away from you and fading. You felt better after that, catching your breath. You wondered if your dad knew this was going to happen and that’s why he wanted you nowhere near the Grimm. It didn’t make sense though, why didn’t they attack.

    You were calming down but that fear and anxiety quickly came back. You looked around to see a bunch of Grimm just staring at you. They didn’t do anything, they didn’t seem hostile, just very tame. You didn’t know what was happening, but you wanted to leave. There was no clear way through and more started showing up. You started crawling backwards, not sure of what else to do, but then your hand sunk into the ground.

    You looked down to see a sort of black smokey puddle, your arm halfway through it, thankfully you could still feel it. You had no idea what it was, the situation making you panic even more. You took a breath and slowly tried to pull your arm out but the darkness got bigger and you feel through. For a moment there was nothing and then you found yourself falling.

    Below you saw the clearing you had just been in, and it was approaching fast. Too much had happened all at once and your mind couldn’t process any of it. You closed your eyes and aimed for the trees, bracing for impact, hoping that being unconscious would help. You never hit the ground though, instead you felt someone snatch you out of the air, landing safely on the ground with you in their arms.

    You opened your eyes. You were being held bridal style and slowly noticed who had you. At first you thought maybe it was your father, but then you noticed the different clothes, the red hair and the mask. Your breathing was calming down, but you were still shaking.

“Are you alright?”

“Hi.”

    Your voice was shaky and you couldn’t figure out what else to say. You didn’t know who this person was but there was so much else going on. You crashed then, passing out, your body finally coming down from the adrenaline. You didn’t know where you would wake up, but it wasn’t bad. When you opened your eyes you were laying in a bed, you sat up and became aware that you were in some tent.

    You felt really tired and every part of you ached. You tried to get up but just fell to your knees. That’s when you heard footsteps and saw someone enter the tent. You slowly looked up, recognizing the person from before, you stayed quiet, not sure what to do.

“You should probably lay down.”

“Who are you?”

“The person who saved your life.”

“Thanks… I guess.”

    They came over and helped you down. You weren’t really sure what they were thinking, the mask covered their eyes so you had nothing to read into. They sat down near you.

“Are… are you the White Fang? The mask… and…”

“Yes.”

“Why… why did you help me? I thought you guys hated humans.”

“It’s more complicated than that, but you’re not… you’re one of us.”

“What?”

“Some faunus can sense their own kind.”

“And you’re getting some… familiar feeling from me.”

“Do you not know what you are?”

“I… no, I lost both my parents when I was little. I’m adopted, and I’ve never really… I don’t know, shown signs of being a faunus. Or maybe my dad never told me.”

“Well then… I guess this isn’t the best way to find out.”

“Is that why you helped me? Cause I’m one of your kind, or else you would have left me to the Grimm.”

“No. I don’t think the Grimm would have done anything to you. I was scouting out the area when I felt… this energy, it was… unique, and so I managed to trace it back to the source. And what do I find? You, surrounded by Grimm, but they weren’t doing anything. Then I see you disappear into the ground only to appear moments later falling from the sky. I didn’t know then you were a faunus. You were just very interesting and clearly in danger.”

“Wait… you could sense the energy I gave off?”

“So it was you, but yes, my semblance allows me to absorb energy, so it has a certain feeling to me. Your… energy, was very different. What is your semblance exactly?”

“Well, as I understand it, I generate my own energy, and can manipulate its… I don’t know, I can make it solid.”

“Alright, but how did you… fall through the ground then?”

“I don’t know… I guess I haven’t unlocked my entire semblance. Don’t even know how I got it in the first place.” You sighed. “Why did you bring me here?”

“Figured you needed rest, and again, you’re very interesting.”

“How so?”

“For starters your semblance, and the fact that the Grimm won’t touch you, or anyone near you. When you passed out in my arms I was ready to fight but the theh didn’t make a move. Not even as I approached them, they just… stepped out of the way. They don’t see you as a threat, why?”

“I wish I knew. I just found that out today, maybe it’s the energy I give off, gosh, that just makes me some kinda freak!”

“I disagree. Makes you fascinating.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“No, I’m not. If anything I can understand how you feel. Humans see faunus as freaks too, they’d just lump you in with the rest of us, and you do belong with us.”

“Cause you got a feeling I’m like you? Look at me, I have no faunus traits.”

“They’re not all obvious, and you didn’t even know about your heritage until now. I suppose that also means you have a new family.”

“Family?”

“We gotta stick together, look out for each other. The humans treat us like less than them, like animals. That’s not what we are, not who we are. We take care of our own, so that includes you.”

“That sounds kinda nice.”

“I should actually let you get some rest.”

“No just… please stay… I’m… I… I don’t want to be alone right now.”

“Alright, I’ll stay.”

“Thank you.”

    You did eventually fall asleep. When you woke up you did feel a little better. You were expecting to be alone but you weren’t. The man from before was still in the tent with you, they were reading a book.

“You know I never got your name.”

“Oh, right, my name’s y/n.”

“What a lovely name, y/n.”

“And you are?”

“Adam. Pleasure to meet you.”

♥♥♥♥♥

“Do you always get lost in thought when you’re out in a forest?”

    Adam’s voice pulled you out of your head. You looked over at him and smiled, pulling him into a hug.

“I don’t think so. It’s just been so long since I’ve been here.”

“Yeah me too. Why are you here anyway?”

“Cinder.”

“Did she-”

“No. She doesn’t know who I am, but she was at Haven the other day. She’s got the headmaster in on her little plan or whatever, so she’ll be at Beacon as a transfer student. Xion spoke with her and she wanted his team here too. Whatever she’s planning has to do with the Vytal Festival. I don’t have any other details. Did you already know any of this?”

“I didn’t, meaning her plans have yet to involve the White Fang. Look, I know you don’t want to be at Beacon but there is a bright side.”

“I know, it’ll be easier to keep an eye on the White Fang here. I just feel like everything’s going to change, that something bad is going to happen.”

“To who?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well last time I checked you weren’t psychic so don’t worry too much about this. You’ll be alright.”

You leaned against him. “Such wisdom. How is everything else?”

“I’m alright, as are the rest of our brothers and sisters. Despite this… partnership, Cinder hasn’t asked much of us.”

“Is that good?”

“For now, but it means she’s planning something big.”

“Not gonna get out of it?”

“Don’t think I can at this point.”

“Then I’ll keep her to her word. She said working with her would benefit us, I have yet to see that.”

“As do I, but you’re the one who preaches patiences.”

“Doesn’t mean I practice it as much.”

“Enough of me, what about you?”

“I’ll be okay. Beacon won’t be so bad. I don’t think there will be any problems but I’m sure they’ll come up.”

“And I have no doubt you’ll handle them.”

“How did I end up lucky enough to meet you.”

“Don’t you remember, you fell out of the sky and into my arms.”

    You both laughed, and he leaned down for a kiss. You hadn’t actually seen him in a long time and it was only then that you realized how much you missed him. School didn’t start for at least another week, so you decided to spend all that free time with him.


	5. Chapter 5

“I didn’t think everything through.”

You were in the training arena with the rest of your team and class. It was common for combat class to have sparring matches, everyone else watching and expected to learn. Ash was on the floor fighting but you knew her style so weren’t really paying attention. Instead you were quietly talking with Xion.

“What are you talking about.”

“I’m compromised.”

“Wait, Cinder knows?”

“No, but she’s going to find out.”

“How?”

“This. I’ve fought her and her lackeys before, if any of them see me fight again they’ll know who I am. I can avoid fighting in class, but we’re here for the Vytal Festival, she’ll find out then.”

“You’re not gonna fight in class? Won’t Goodwitch get mad?”

“I kinda already talked to her, I’m excused.”

“So you’ve talked to her but not your dad, huh?”

“Xion…”

“What? We’ve been here for a few weeks now, are you just avoiding him?”

“I don’t even know how to talk to him. Or where to start.”

“How about with hello?”

“Ha, ha, very funny.”

“I’m just saying, I’m sure he knows it’s weird you haven’t talked to him.”

“I’ll get to it.”

“Then back to the matter at hand, does Adam know about this?”

“No, but when I tell him he’s going to be worried.”

“He shouldn’t, not like you can’t handle her.”

“Yeah, but you know things can get out of hand.”

“If it does it will be her fault.”

The match ended, Ash victorious, she came back up and sat with Zeta. The rest of the class continued as usual, your eyes then wandered over to another team of girls, specifically the girl with the black bow on her head. Xion followed your gaze and nudged you.

“Should we tell him that we found her?”

“No. She left, she’s not our problem and he doesn’t care.”

“Alright, also, if you’re not gonna practice in class does that mean I’m the only person who gets to kick your ass?”

“You’ve never beaten me.”

“And you’ve never won a match with me either.”

“Congrats we’re on the same level.”

“Xion Redfox.”

Your conversation was cut short when Goodwitch called out Xion’s name. Emerald was on the floor and apparently had chosen her partner. Xion couldn’t really pass on the request.

“So, what’s the verdict?” Xion whispered. “Win or lose?”

“You don’t lose, so go bruise an ego.”

“Got it boss.”

♥♥♥♥♥

Even if you were in Vale it was still rather hard to make believable excuses to get away from team activities. Most things happened at night, but there were also other matters to attend to. When you did finally managed to get away you’d meet up at an abandoned warehouse, each time there was more and more dust.

“Where have you been?”

You ignored Roman, perching yourself atop one of the crates over his little desk area. You kept your hood on at all times, even if you knew you were close to a point where that wouldn’t be necessary anymore.

“Could have use you down at the docks a few weeks ago. A bunch of kids were messing with my operation.”

“Our. You’re not the only one involved here.”

“So it speaks.”

“When it wants to.”

“Still didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh I was there Roman. I made sure the White Fang got out of there and didn’t get hurt.”

“And me!?”

“You’re not my responsibility.”

“Well maybe you could have helped.”

“You had it handled, or are you telling me a bunch of kids are too much for you?”

“Shut up.”

“Gladly.”

You didn’t know much about this operation, all you knew was every other day you were stealing dust. If you were going out tonight you’d have to wait for Roman’s say. You didn’t like him much but you had to admit he was good at his job. Most of the times the heists went down with little to no issue. Man was a master thief after all.

You were pulled out from your thoughts when you saw Cinder’s two favorite lackies approaching. You kept to the shadows though, not wanting to interact, not like they would notice you anyway. They didn’t care about you as much as you didn’t care about them. Much easier to ignore them since they were human.

“Oh look, she sent the kids again.”

You chuckled to yourself, quietly watching the scene play out. The two had been gone all day, something that didn’t seem important but was apparently bothering Roman. You were rather uninterested but vaguely listening.

“Why do you have this address?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Yeah I would. Now where have you been all day?”

“Cleaning up your problems. One of them at least.”

“I had that under control.”

“What is this all about?” You cut in. “Fighting among ourselves doesn’t help anyone.”

“Oh look, seems like you decided to show up.” Emerald spat out. “Care to explain your whereabouts?”

You stepped out of the shadows a bit, making yourself more visible but remaining on higher ground, looking down on the others.

“I’m here when I am needed. Now, Roman, what seems to be the problem?”

“We had a runaway on our hands.” Mercury said. “We took care of it.”

“Probably shouldn’t have said that.” Roman mumbled under his breath.

You were quick to understand what the lackeys were talking about. In the blink of an you were in front of Mercury, the only bit of you he could see was the red glow of your eyes. You could see a hint of fear in his eyes but he was brave enough to stand his ground with you.

“You killed a faunus!”

“He was gonna rat us out!”

“The faunus look after our own! We’d never betray each other like that, we’re not filthy humans.”

“Watch your tongue.”

“How about I take yours.”

“Come on now kiddies.”

Roman grabbed your arm and pulled you back. You pulled yourself away and shoved him back. Eyes still glowing.

“If one of my people left why didn’t you tell me, Roman!”

“I’ve kinda been busy.”

“You’ve kinda been busy! That’s your excuse!”

“Well maybe if you stuck around more this wouldn’t-”

“That’s enough.”

Cinder’s voice echoed in the room, everyone going quiet. You took a deep breath and calmed yourself down, seeing Cinder approaching.

“Shadow is here to lead the White Fang, anything involving the faunus should be reported to them. Did I not make it clear that you were suppose to have Shadow deal with the deserter?”

“I was going to…”

“He was going to escape to Vacuo. Mercury and I decided to take it upon ourselves to kill the rat.”

“I see a green one now.” You spat.

“Quiet, all of you.” Cinder’s gaze fell on Em and Merc. “Did I not specifically instruct you two to keep your hands clean while in Vale.”

“I just thought…”

“Don’t think. Obey.”

“Yes, ma’am, it won’t happen again.”

You retreated back up to one of the crates, feeling pathetic for not being able to do the one thing you were meant to. You hadn’t seen Adam in weeks, now was as good a time as any. You just wished it would have been under better circumstances. The rest of what Cinder said you didn’t listen to until she was talking about moving the dust and moving on with her plan. Of course the life of a faunus meant nothing to her, you just hoped this wasn’t all for nothing, for her sake.

♥♥♥♥♥

All the dust had been moved to a new location overnight. By the time that finished it was nearly sunrise. You probably should have gone back to Beacon, but you wanted to see Adam. You portalled to his current camp. Out of habit you checked the perimeter before going into the camp.

The faunus out on watch greeted you. You asked about their activities, and then about Adam. After some little conversations you went looking for Adam. You started by checking his tent, it was early and he should be sleeping. If he wasn’t in bed then you knew exactly where to find him. You went over to the main tent.

“Isn’t this a surprise.”

“I didn’t say anything, how did you know it was me?”

“Your aura, your energy. I know when you’re around.”

“Good to know I can’t sneak around you.”

You went over to his side, he was looking at a map, clearly planning something. You didn’t say anything at first, just wanting to be with him.

“Why aren’t you sleeping? It’s pretty early you should be resting.”

“And you should be at school, right?”

“Well…”

“I’ll tell if you tell.”

You chuckled and sat on the table, purposefully covering the map. He sighed and stood back, looking at you, smirk on his face.

“Alright, alright.” Adam said. “You first.”

“Well, we’re done stealing dust in Vale. We got a lot, and it was all moved last night. Apparently we’re done with it and moving on to phase two. Any idea what that is?”

“I’m afraid not, haven’t heard much from Cinder lately.”

“Guess she’s just been bothering me.”

“And what else is on your mind.”

“Hm?”

“You didn’t need to come all the way here to tell me that, so what’s wrong?”

You looked down, swinging your legs back and forth. Adam reached over and grabbed your hand, assuring you that you were okay.

“One… one of our brothers wanted out, and so they left. Roman was supposed to tell me about that so I could talk to them, not like we’d turn on each other, but he forgot to mention it. So Cinder’s gang went after him and killed him. I couldn’t do the one thing I’m supposed to.”

“You didn’t kill him.”

“And I didn’t save him either. They don’t care about us! We’re just expendable! We should stop working with them.”

“Y/n!”

You looked down to see your claws digging into Adam’s hand, blood staining your clothes. You quickly let go, jumping off the table and backing away, holding your hands close to your body.

“I… I’m so sorry, I didn’t-”

“It’s alright, I’m already healing.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just-”

“You lost control for a moment. It happens, you’re upset, but I’m fine. Just take a deep breath and calm yourself down.”

You nodded and closed your eyes taking a few deep breaths. He slowly went over to you and took your hand again. You looked at him, still upset about what you did, but glad he wasn’t mad or anything.

“Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing, this isn’t the first time you’ve stabbed me with your Beowolf claws.”

“It’s not? When did I…”

“When we first met. You weren’t conscious but I noticed your had claws. They did retract on their own but you did cut me.”

“Oh… why didn’t you say anything.”

“It was just a scratch so I didn’t want to concern you. Besides I’d rather get stabbed than have my hand crushed by the strength of an Ursa.”

You chuckled. “I’ll be more careful, promise.”

You looked down at his hand, grabbing a bit of your cloak and cleaning off his hand. He chuckled and then took your cloak off.

“You’ll need to clean this before you leave.”

“I know, I don’t need questions. There is something else I need to tell you too.”

“What it is it?”

“I’m going to be compromised.”

“How so?”

“Cinder and her gang have seen me fight. I’ve been excused from sparring in class, but my team is in the Vytal festival, I won’t be able to hide it then. She’ll figure out who I am.”

“I see, but you mustn’t forget how strong you are. You easily stood against her before and even if she knows who you are it gives her no power over you. I suppose this was going to happen eventually.”

“I’ll be okay, I just don’t want you to worry.”

“I always worry about you, even though I know you can take care of yourself.”

“Yeah, well enough about me, what about you? Why aren’t you sleeping.”

“I am sleeping, just not as much as I used to.”

“Why not?”

“I have no reason to stay in bed.”

“If you’re not well rested you’ll put our people in danger.”

“I’m still getting enough sleep though, so don’t worry too much.”

“I’ll try not to. You mind if I stay a while?”

“Are you alright with getting in trouble at school?”

“I don’t think I’d get in trouble.”

“Right, you have a rather unfair advantage at Beacon.”

“I wouldn’t really call it an advantage. At least it’s not public knowledge, so I don’t have to worry about anyone finding out.”

“Well, my troops won’t be moving out today so feel free to stay as long as you like. You can entertain me with tales of Beacon.”

“I think I have a few.”


	6. Chapter 6

“You want to steal Atlas military weapons!”

You had Roman pinned against a wall, blade at his throat. You knew the operation was moving past dust, but you never expected that. It wasn’t so long ago that Atlas had arrived to prepare for the Vytal festival with an entire airfleet. You hadn’t heard from Cinder, but apparently this was the next phase or something.

“It’s not for us, but you, for the White Fang, surely you’d love the heavy artillery.”

You growled, suddenly hearing a sword unsheath. You pushed away from Roman as a sword came down on where you had been standing. You didn’t think too much before you were fighting this attacker. They were good, but not your level. In the end you disarmed them, your sword against their throat. That’s when you finally saw your opponent, a girl with pink and chocolate colored hair, although you quickly sensed their faunus side.

“Nice timing, Neo.” Roman said, then glanced at you. “This is my right hand, they’ve been away but I appreciate your welcome party.”

You glared at him but focused on Neo. “Why’d you attack me?”

“They’re not much of a talker here. Don’t be upset, Neo is very protective of me.”

“Neo… you care about him?” They nodded, gently hitting the tip of your blade with their chin. “You’re a good fighter, be proud of that. And congrats to you, Roman.”

You put away your sword, Neo getting up and grabbing their own weapon. If stealing from Atlas was the plan you knew what had to be done.

“For what?” Roman asked.

“I take care of my own, and that includes Neo. She cares about you, so I won’t have them lose you on my watch. You finally got what you wanted.”

“Which is?”

“My protection. Now send me the details, I’m not gonna have my people attack any Atlas military, so I’ll steal the weapons on my own.”

“Cocky aren’t you?”

“Confident is the word you’re looking for. Do you not believe me?”

“Oh I do, Shadow, I just can’t wait to see you pull it off.”

“Give me the location and where you want them stored. I’ll get it done tonight if necessary.”

“Of course, wish I had met you sooner.”

“Everyone says that.”

♥♥♥♥♥

You hadn’t been kidding about pulling the job off tonight, that wasn’t expected, but it allowed for things to move quicker. Roman sent you the data they had, and what they were hoping to nab. You were expecting guns, but a full on mechs, and multiple at that, you knew you were gonna wear yourself out. Regardless, you were doing it.

Atlas security was good, their robots were pretty state of the art, but will never be a match against a living being, let alone a faunus. One could say you also had the advantage since you weren’t facing the full capacity of Atlas security, but if you wanted to, you could probably steal from them in their home turf with ease.

As always you stuck to the shadows, not really moving but portaling around, not wanting to set off any motion detectors. There were actual living guards by the weapons, as expected, so you just needed to distract them. You first properly scoped out your targets, you wanted to keep quiet, but at the same time you wanted the action. You spotted some cameras, first task was to take them down. It didn’t take long to find the security room.

You knocked one of the guards out before they noticed you, the others put up a cute little fight but ultimately all ended up unconscious at your feet. You could just turn off the cameras but that felt to easy, instead you destroyed the whole system, best not to take any chances. With that done you didn’t hesitate to make your appearance known. The guards were a little quicker to your presence this time around, although no formalities of even trying to get your name, just straight shooting, fun.

Not one stray bullet grazed you, and you took your some sweet time disposing of them. Of course you knew it wouldn’t be long before someone else came to realize what was happening and get some back up. With bodies at your feet you casually walked around the place, portalling away the mechs and other things that seemed useful. You probably could have taken everything no problem, but you weren’t at full power to do that. When you were done you headed to the new headquarters.

“You never disappoint do you.” Roman commented. “Well done.”

“Is this what you asked for?”

“And then some.”

“Anything else?”

“No, I think you can go now.”

“Good. Then I am gone.”

♥♥♥♥♥

You used your power to land in bed. You laid down for a while before getting up to shower. The others were pretty deep in sleep so you weren’t worried about waking them. You slept well that night, too well that you actually slept in a bit.

“How dare you not invite me.”

Xion was the one who shook you awake in the morning, the other members already gone for breakfast. You laughed a bit and rolled over.

“What…”

“You don’t sleep in unless you were busy last night.”

“And what if I was?”

“I’m upset you didn’t ask for my help.”

“I’m capable of doing things without your help.”

“Yeah, but I wanted to have fun too. So, what did you do?”

“Stole Atlas tech.”

“You did what!” Xion started laughing. “You did not.”

“Yup, and keep it down unless you wanna tell the whole academy!”

“Alright, but you gotta tell me how it went down when you can.”

“I will.”

“Get up though, or else you’ll miss breakfast and then class.”

“I don’t wanna go to class.”

“You get excused for that too.”

“No…”

“Speaking of… have you spoken to your dad?”

“No…”

“Y/n, how long have we been here? You need to talk to him.”

“I don’t want to.”

You rolled out of bed, stretching and hoping in the shower. You figured Xion would have left but he continued the conversation.

“How long can you avoid him?”

“Forever if I want.”

“Be honest, why haven’t you gone to see him?”

“Cause I don’t wanna see his smug face.”

“What?”

“He didn’t want me going to Haven.”

“He said that?”

“No, but I knew he didn’t like the idea. Probably didn’t trust me to be far from home.”

“But he let you go anyway.”

“Yeah, and he’s probably ecstatic that I’m back.”

“And that you want to stay.”

“Huh? When did you-”

“It’s obvious alright, this place is your home after all. You were raised here after all.”

“That may be… but I don’t know if the others want to stay too.”

“Well, unless you tell them, how can they? If you mention it, they might chill out more and let themselves get comfy here.”

“I suppose… what about you then? You wanna stay?”

“I go where you go remember. If you want to stay then so be it.”

“You can have opinions you know.”

You stepped out of the shower, drying off. You got yourself dressed, Xion turning his back to you while you changed. The two of you then headed to the breakfast hall.

“You gotta talk to your dad, and to the team, deal?”

“Deal? For what?”

“Talk to them or I’m gonna stalk you off campus.”

“Don’t you already do that.”

“Not entirely.”

“I’ll talk to the team then, my dad… that’s another story.”

“Can’t avoid him forever.”

“Watch me.”

♥♥♥♥♥

The next time Roman called was for a White Fang gathering. It was meant to gather new recruits and show off the Atlas tech. Everything seemed to be going well, the others moving past Roman being a human clearly in the position of power at the rally. Of course things were never simple, what you thought would be simple security work went sideways when you noticed Blake and Sun in the crowd.

You merely rolled your eyes when the lights went out. They certainly had learned much from a recruitment rally and you could easily get the Atlas tech somewhere safely. That was the idea anyway, before you realized Roman had gotten into the mech and went after the two. You figured he wouldn’t be coming back with it intact, so you just focused on making sure everyone else was safe, and that no law enforcement go near enough to arrest anyone.

When Roman returned to base with Neo has his escort, you weren’t surprised to learn the mech had been thrashed. It was one less weapon, and you scolded the criminal for his actions, reminding him that mech had been for the faunus and not some human. With that done with you returned to your dorm peacefully, although there was another problem looming over your head now, and you absolutely wanted to skip it.

♥♥♥♥♥

“No!”

“Come on y/n, you have to go.”

Xion was quick to remind you that the school was having a dance soon, and it would be rude not to attend. You weren’t one for parties, especially since by then many of the other students were already suspicious of you in someway, well aware you were exempt from combat matches.

“I don’t want to.”

“But the rest of the team does.”

“And you?”

“Well, would be a fun chance to show off my dance moves.”

You scoffed. “You can’t dance.”

“Wanna bet?”

“No. Look, I don’t wanna go to a stupid dance, I have responsibilities you know.”

“You just don’t want to dress up.”

“If that’s what you wanna believe.”

“Okay, fine, let’s step away from the dance. We have a mission to pick next week.”

“So?”

“We cannot do something lame.”

“We’re first years, they won’t let us-”

“We may be first years but everyone knows we’re way ahead, at least you and me, we should do something more suited.”

“They won’t let us.”

“You could always ask… I’m sure the headmaster would be okay with it.”

“No! Team CFVY is still gone, I can’t be away from Beacon, from Vale, for so long.”

“Okay, that’s not the problem, you can go to Atlas and steal another mech from them in like five minutes, the distance isn’t the issue.”

“I won’t be able to just disappear if we go far away for a mission. My responsibility would be to the team.”

“No duh, don’t you want to be a huntsmen?”

“I do…”

“Well, we’re here at Beacon Academy to be proper huntsmen, you chose this, you can’t ignore or avoid the tasks and obstacles you need to accomplish for that title.”

“I hate you.”

“Cause you know I’m right, I know you care about your family but… don’t you come first?”

“I really hate you.”

“Let’s make a deal. I won’t complain about an easy mission in Vale, and help you disappear if necessary, but you have to go to the dance.”

“What-”

“And if you need to go awol for that too I’ll cover for you.”

You thought for a moment. “Fine.”

“Good and you can use the occasion to talk to Zeta and Ash about staying in Beacon.”

“Right… I will.”

“Good. So, after class, you wanna go out and spar? You could use the challenge.”

“I already had some fun.”

“Okay fine, then for me, you need to keep me on top of my game.”

“Fine, I guess you have been itching to properly use your skills.”

“Yeah!”

“Alright, I’ll indulge you.”

♥♥♥♥♥

You were really dreading the dance, but you had agreed. Of course you weren’t surprised there was a bit more to it. Xion told you Cinder was planning to do something that night while everyone was distracted, you were curious but you didn’t say anything, it had nothing to do with the faunus so you didn’t see it as your problem.

Your battle uniform was somewhat formal, but for the night you had to be properly formal, no weapons on you. You felt a it naked without them, but you could handle yourself well without them. You did have mastery over your power that you didn’t really need your weapons, it was mostly just to help channel your energy and focus it. Even if you didn’t want to be there you had some fun, dancing with your team members for a bit.

As promised you did bring up the fact that you were thinking that maybe the team could transfer to Beacon. Nothing was gonna be final unless everyone agreed. Of course there were no solid answers, you weren’t expecting it, but the others were open to the idea. Xion had a point about mentioning it as Zeta and Ash mingled more for the rest of the night.

When you had the chance you did sneak out, telling Xion not to expect you till sometime later. You looked so wonderful and it would be a shame if a certain someone didn’t see you. You went to Adam, finding him out in the woods around the camp. You wanted to surprise him, but sneaking up on him wasn’t something you could do.

“It’s been a while.”

“Oh you know, school and the White Fang keep me busy.”

Adam looked back at you. “Wow… you look… incredible.”

“Thanks.”

“What’s the occasion?”

“School dance, couldn’t get out of it.”

“I see.”

He admired your beauty for a while longer before pulling you into a kiss, then starting to slow dance with you.

“I hope you saved me a dance.”

“There’s always one for you.”

“I’ve really missed you.”

“I would hope so, how many badasses do you know.”

“Besides myself and you, there’s our high leader, and-”

“Okay, we’re badasses, got it.”

He chuckled. “Now, are you going to tell me what’s on your mind?”

“I can’t keep anything from you can I?”

“Well, I just asked a question, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I don’t need to know everything that goes on with you do it?”

“But I bet you want to.”

“Guilty.”

“It’s just tomorrow, first proper team mission. Nothing to difficult since we are first years.”

“And you want something more difficult?”

“Not really, I can’t go too far from Vale.”

“Then what is it?”

“Just everything, sometimes I feel like I am trying to do a lot.”

“But you’ve handled it all very well.”

“I know.” You rested your head against him. “I’m just worried when it’s all gonna fall apart.”

“You think it will?”

“Whatever Cinder is planning… we may not know what it is, but I have a bad feeling.”

“Well, when the time comes, I’ll be right there.”

“I know you will, thank you.”

You stuck around for awhile longer before heading back. Tomorrow was a big day and you couldn’t let your team down. Even if you had been kind of dreading it, you had to admit you were somewhat excited to do a  mission with your team. It was all part of being a huntsmen after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, to whoever is reading this I apologize for not updating sooner, after the events of volume six... I was rather upset, but what can you do, but I won't leave this unfinished, and I totally am not going down the same path of the writers. So I hope you enjoy.

**Author's Note:**

> I love Adam's character, I know he's problematic, obviously, but I still love him. I've always wanted to do a story like this, and kinda always wished there was a character with similar powers to the reader, and I guess those powers are also similar to Salem. Regardless, this is just the start, I suppose as I go forth with this it will follow along with the RWBY timeline, of course I'll change some things like I always do. More will be revealed about the reader and their past with each chapter. Honestly I just wish there was someone for Adam, and this story is me doing that, so I hope you guys like it and look forward to more.


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